Channels like the Food Network kept Lisa Thomson’s eyes glued to the TV as a kid. She looked up to Julia Child, Graham Kerr, Jacques Pepin, and other televised chefs—but it was ultimately a sports broadcaster who inspired her to consider going to cooking school.
Born and raised in the Santa Ynez Valley, Thomson was working a client relations job at a voiceover studio in LA when she met NBA play-by-play announcer Chick Hearn (1916-2002), who saw promise in a hobby of Thomson’s.
“I would always make treats for our advertising clients and their talent. The great, late Chick Hearn … was one of my regular guinea pigs,” Thomson said in an email interview. “He was my biggest fan and supporter back then. He really encouraged me to go to chef school. He even gave me a shout-out on a live broadcast of a Lakers game talking about the homemade bagel I had made him that day.”
Thomson’s career trajectory shifted after enrolling at the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, where she “graduated on the dean’s list,” said the local chef, who eventually returned to her hometown, where she currently works as Global Gardens’ chef and brand specialist.
This year marks Thomson’s fifth year with the organic olive oil producer and retail shop and her third year participating in the upcoming Santa Barbara County Women Winemakers and Culinarians Celebration, March 6 through 9.
“I think it’s the most fun, flavorful, and collaborative winemaker event of the year,” said Thomson, who will be among more than a dozen culinary professionals and more than 30 vintners at the event.
The four-day festival features wine and food events scattered across multiple venues. The grand tasting on March 8 will take place at 27 Vines in Santa Ynez, while Vega Vineyard and Farm and Zaca Creek’s The Buellhouse in Buellton and Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard in Los Olivos are also among the fest’s lineup of locations.
Thomson is no stranger to leading periodic olive oil tastings and occasional cooking classes at Global Gardens, where her baked goods—such as her dangerously delicious blood orange-infused olive oil chocolate brownie cookies—are regularly available to purchase on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Apart from baking, the chef said that Global Gardens’ blood orange-infused olive oil is perfect for roasted vegetables.
“Think carrots, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, or asparagus,” said Thomson.
The chef regularly incorporates the blood orange variety into cake and cookie recipes. She also recommends it as an ice cream topping.
“Try it drizzled on a dark chocolate ice cream with a little flaky sea salt,” Thomson said. “You will thank me.”
While the blood orange is Thomson’s go-to olive oil at Global Gardens, her go-to balsamic vinegar is the Meyer lemon bliss golden balsamic.
“It is so versatile. … I put this vinegar in almost everything I cook,” said Thomson, who oversees the sales of several different types of fruit balsamic vinegar and olive oil at Global Gardens.
As for the Meyer lemon balsamic specifically, it’s great for cooking chicken or fish in, and a surefire way to spruce up a salad, or enhance “your favorite whiskey sour cocktail,” Thomson said.
Thanks to Global Gardens’ diverse range of balsamic and olive oil selections and the bountiful tally of Central Coast vegetable and fruit growers, there’s no such thing as a dry spell when it comes to putting together a fresh salad from scratch, Thomson explained.
“We’re so lucky to have local farm stands all around the county with the best salad ingredients available year-round,” she said. “We make over a dozen olive oils and 20 fruit balsamics—all of them have unique flavors, so salads never get boring.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood wants to know if you’re a cookie monster, a salad monster, or all of the above. Send comments to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 13-23, 2025.